Gene Anderson

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Gene Anderson
Statistics
Ring name(s) "Pretty Boy" Gene Anderson
Billed height 6'0" (183 cm)
Billed weight 250 lb (113 kg)
Born 1939
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Died October 31, 1991
Trained by Verne Gagne
Retired 1981 (as wrestler) 1984 (as manager)

Gene Anderson (born 1939 in Saint Paul, Minnesota - October 31, 1991) was an American professional wrestler best known for his days of teaming with his (kayfabe) brother Ole Anderson.

[edit] Career

Gene Anderson started wrestling in 1961 after being trained by Verne Gagne. In the late 1965, he formed the Minnesota Wrecking Crew with fellow collegian Lars Anderson as his "brother". They wrestled in the Florida territories and won some tag team titles together.

Gene then reformed the tag team with his "brother" (another fellow collegian) Ole Anderson in 1969 after Lars left. They became one of the most successful heel tag teams in the history of professional wrestling. They dominated the Southeastern tag team scene until Gene retired to become a manager in 1981.

Gene and Ole would hold tryouts for prospective wrestlers during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Al Snow is one who trained under them, being subjected to an exhaustive exercise routine followed by being stretched in the ring by Ole [1].

When Gene quit wrestling, he became a heel manager for a few years, before retiring from wrestling in 1984. During his career, he managed Ivan Koloff, Ray Stevens and Jimmy Snuka[2].

After retiring, Gene became a Deputy Sheriff in North Carolina but died of a sudden heart attack on October 31, 1991 [3].

Gene's son, Brad Anderson, is also a professional wrestler and still competes on the independent circuit [4].

[edit] Championships and accomplishments

  • PWI Tag Team of the Year award with Ole Anderson in 1975.
  • PWI Tag Team of the Year award with Ole Anderson in 1977.
  • PWI ranked him # 60 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" with Ivan Koloff in 2003 .

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Wrestling Menu #25 - The History Of Al Snow
  2. ^ Ric Flair In Toronto - Maple Leaf Wrestling - Pictorial
  3. ^ ProWrestling.com obituary listing
  4. ^ Anderson Brothers Classic | Brad Anderson
  5. ^ N.W.A. Southern Tag Team Title (Georgia)
  6. ^ [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-nwa-t.html
    <li id="cite_note-6">'''[[#cite_ref-6|^]]''' [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ga/nwa/ga-se-t.html NWA Southeastern Tag Team Title (Georgia) history] At wrestling-titles.com</li> <li id="cite_note-7">'''[[#cite_ref-7|^]]''' [http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/midatlantic/nwa/ma-nwa-t.html N.W.A. World Tag Team Title (Mid-Atlantic/W.C.W.)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</li></ol></ref>